Tarkaal
' Tarkaal' was a 51-year-old Jungle Felucian Shaman who lived aboard the Triumphant. Like all members of his species, he was force-sensitive, and frequently used his abilities to support the Brigade on the battlefield. He was known to be both peculiar and esoteric. His idiosyncracies were compounded by the fact that he only spoke in his native tongue, despite understanding Galactic Basic just fine. Moreover, he was telepathic, which theoretically enabled him to communicate with whoever he wanted no matter what language they spoke. Why he chose to use this ability only on a select few remains a mystery. Biography The Felucia of Tarkaal's youth was only just recovering from the corruption brought about by Maris Brood in 2 BBY. A large portion of the Felucians had been slaughtered, either by the Galactic Empire or Galen Marek. The Ancient Abyss, the center of Felucian culture and religion, had been badly wounded, bringing morale to an all-time low. The few Felucians that remained were struggling to drag the planet and its ecosystem back into balance with the Force, a task made even more difficult by the sudden dearth of shamans. Nevertheless, Jedi Master Shaak Ti's teachings managed to survive with the few that were left, and with their guiding light the Felucians were slowly pulling the planet back from insanity. Born into the Felucian warrior caste in 0 ABY, Tarkaal began learning to hunt at the early age of 9. Every young warrior was taught to use the Force to bolster both their defensive and offensive capabilities. The most fundamental technique was the erection of force barriers for protection. This was something all Felucians learned to do by second nature very early on in life. Warriors were further taught to imbue whatever weapon they had at their disposal with the Force, making them much more efficient. It was during this training that Tarkaal gained a thorough knowledge of Felucian poisons and developed a fondness for poisoncraft that he retains to this day. Through the Force, Tarkaal became such a prodigal hunter that the Shamans took notice. At the age of 11, he was placed under their tutelage so that he might learn the ways of the Force, lest he stray down the path of the dark side. As a shaman apprentice he learned even more about alchemy, applying his knack for poisons to herbal medicines. He soon learned how to cloak himself in the Force, making him nigh invisible. Most importantly, he was taught to feel the Living Force around him and to channel it into advanced forms of healing as well as devastating attacks. It was also during this training that he carved his staff from a rancor's bone, the trusty weapon that would serve him well for the rest of his life, and how to communicate with others using telepathy. Yuuzhan Vong Wars By the age of 26, Tarkaal was a respected shaman, and Felucia was almost back in balance with the Force. However, in 27 ABY, the planet fell into the claws of the Yuuzhan Vong. Their reign was brutal. Felucians were used as slaves, subjected to terrible experiments, and occasionally outright murdered. Tarkaal was among the Felucians who managed to avoid capture by hiding deep within the Ancient Abyss, and he lead his people in many a raid against the Yuuzhan Vong camps in vain attempts to liberate their brethren. He perfected such techniques as Force Blast, Battle Meditation, Force Camouflage, Force Body, Force Bellow, and Force Drain. During one particularly heated battle with the Vong, he even managed to manifest Force Lightning, though it is unlikely he did so on purpose and rather accidentally cast it in a fit of rage. The Vong's occupation of the planet was ended late in 29 BBY, when Talben Foelin and his brigade came to liberate the planet. Tarkaal fought alongside Foelin during the four-day Second Second Battle of Felucia, and stood victorious with him at its conclusion. Despite his hand in the Felucians' triumph over the Vong, the other shamans, which were again few in number, grew worried that Tarkaal had grown to close to the Dark Side. While Felucians who fall to the Dark Side are normally thrown into the Ancient Abyss to be executed, they instead allowed Tarkaal to go into exhile. Tarkaal chose to serve out his sentence with Foelin, whom he had come to respect, and he remains aboard the ''Triumphant ''to this day.